


Falcondance

by aydefirth



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Titans (Shingeki no Kyojin), Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Build, War, graphic description of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-07-29 20:37:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16271900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aydefirth/pseuds/aydefirth
Summary: The Avians and Serpiente have been at war for hundreds of years with no future of ever ending it. But one mistake and a show of mercy from a recruit might be all the Serpiente needed to try to reach for a peaceful resolution with the Avians. However, just because peace is being talked about doesn't mean there aren't some working in the shadows to keep the war going.“Why did you hold his hand?” Historia’s quiet voice interrupted Shadi’s angry tantrum. The whole room got quiet and looked at Eren, who was trying hard to make himself as small as possible. Once he realized that everyone’s attention was on him, he swallowed loudly and looked up at his queen.“Because everyone deserves mercy, and he asked me to end his life instead.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work is heavily inspired and referenced by the Kiesha'ra Series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.

The air around him was cold, surrounding him in a mist of white, making his clothes cling to him with the mix of his sweat. He could barely see his hands in front of him and that worried him. Their best sense was sight and now because of the fog they had to rely on their hearing, which was not as great as their enemies. In order to be safer in this condition, they were stationed almost at the top of the trees in order to avoid arrow ambushes. That would not happen though, they were not the first line of defense, something Eren didn’t like. He preferred to be at the very front and feel useful, unlike now. Thankfully, they were not at the very back, and the Serpiente going unnoticed by the first lines of defense wasn’t unheard of but not common, especially with a fog as thick as this one. Their enemy was true to their form and slithered everywhere. The sneaky shits.

 

A slight rustle to his left had Eren glancing at his partner, Jean, for what felt like the tenth time. Jean wasn’t as unmoving as they had to be. He kept fidgeting and rustling his wings to get rid of the moisture getting in between his feathers. While it was annoying for their wings getting heavy with the humidity, Eren knew that every little movement could give their position away if a serpiente was slithering by.

 

Eren had lost track of how long they had stayed in their position. Jean was his Flight Mate and everyone was assigned one, so in different positions next to them were part of his squad, Flight 104th, a mix of other ravens and sparrows. While the rest where somewhere else in another defense line, Eren hoped that they wouldn’t be much further ahead, especially since Mikasa and Armin where amongst another division. He didn’t worry much about Mikasa, being one of the best ravens on his squad. But he worried about Armin and how small his sparrow-sized body was in comparison to their enemy. He knew Mikasa would fight through hell to make sure nothing happened to Armin, but he still worried.

 

He shifted a little to relieve some stress from his knees. After being in the same crouched position for so long, and with the cold and fog around them, his limbs were starting to get numb. He was surprised to see that Jean hadn’t complained yet, especially about his wings.

 

“Got something to say, Yeager?” Jean bit back after noticing how Eren kept glaring at him every time he made the slightest movement with his wings. While not as small as Eren’s, Jeans wings were a deep, slick black. Eren envied the coloring of his wings and feathering. Not that he would ever admit it to Jean, but his raven form made him fit better with the Royal Flight than his coloring or size ever would. At this moment, however, he didn’t look fit for the Royal flight. His hair was stuck to his forehead and he couldn’t stop shivering from the cold. Their uniforms didn’t offer much against the cold since the heavier the coats the less mobility they would have. With leathered armor that kept their shoulder blades open and bare, they only had their wings for warmth. But in war, warmth was usually far from their thoughts. When fighting against a serpiente, their uniform had to give them the best mobility and agility to escape the snakes’ jaws at a moment’s notice.

 

“Nothing you don’t already know.” Jean smirked and was about to reply when they heard the leaves of a tree to their left move. They turned towards the commotion and both stood, slowly and carefully to not make any noise, at the same time.

 

“Avian?” Eren whispered to Jean, who was closest to the movement. Jean barely moved his shoulders as a shrug, also careful not to make sudden movements to give away their position. After a couple of heartbeats later, the rustling moved further ahead, making a clear path of whoever was moving. They both knew that no avian would move that boldly unless forced to. In an instant, both Eren and Jean unsheathed their blades and crouched, readying their wings to take flight. The rustling stopped for a second before it started back again.

 

“I’m moving in.” Eren didn’t wait to hear Jean’s reply before leaping for another branch closer to the sound, trying to make his wings flap soundlessly. The branch he landed on took him closer to the ground but the fog was still so dense he couldn’t see the ground clearly. He waited for a second too long to see if any more rustling would happen since he moved, trying to be as careful as he could with his surroundings. Just when Jean landed next to him, panting, Eren saw movement ahead and leaped again, uncaring of the sound his wings were making.

 

“Damn it Jaeger! We aren’t supposed to move from our post, you idiot!” He heard Jean call after him but didn’t look back or wait to see if his flight mate would follow him. He knew there would be repercussions later but for now he knew he needed to follow his instinct and go after whoever was making so much noise.

 

His wings flapped some more before he landed on a branch closer to the ground. So close he could finally see the earth and moss. He looked up but couldn’t see the sky, making him realize he was deep in the forest and too close to ground to be safe. He looked behind him but couldn’t see Jean either, making him realize as well that he had moved too quickly for the raven to catch up.

 

He took a minute to calm his breathing and his beating heart. The mist and fog had finally become too dense that is was finally drizzling, making Eren adjust the hold he hand on his blades, the water making them slip slightly. He shook his wings but didn’t shiver from the cold; in fact the water was cooling him down. He never got cold like the others; instead he would always be burning hot. His parents never worried about it, so neither did he or the others. And his temperature was the last thing people commented about him anyway.

 

But he still needed to prove himself as an avian fighter, someone that was worthy of a place in the Royal Flight. And maybe that moment was much closer than he imagined.

 

He heard a sparrow’s call for help and Eren took flight without a second thought. He flew high and northeast of the Keep, deeper into the forest where he knew the chances of encountering a serpiente where much higher. But he recognized the sparrow’s call; it was Hannah. She had only called once and Eren was afraid he would be too late. And he was right.

 

When Eren reached a small clearing, what he saw made him gag. Below laid Hannah, Thomas and Mina unmoving. The amount of blood surrounding Mina told its own story about the wounds she suffered. For Thomas, it was worse. His throat had been slit so deeply Eren was able to see the bone underneath all the flesh, with the blood spraying his face and the ground in a messy line. Hannah had no visible wounds except for her veins showing in a black mess. That meant a blade or arrow dipped in black poison had gotten in her somehow. And by the way she kept gasping for air, Eren knew she was dying slowly and painfully. When serpiente used black poison as a means to kill, the avians knew it was personal, for that way of death was only reserved for criminals or royalty.

 

Hannah clutched her throat, trying desperately to gasp for air, her eyes wide open and full of tears and fear knowing it would be her last while trying to reach for someone before her. Eren looked down just in time to see Franz fall to his knees in exhaustion as the serpiente drove his sword through Franz’s torso in a killing blow. By the time Franz’s body fell over, Hannah had already taken her last breath.

 

The unsettling scene made Eren give out a long, terrifying screech that could have been heard all the way to the Keep, a screech so unlike any mockingbird could ever make, and Eren flew straight down towards the serpiente. Said snake only had the time to turn towards Eren before being kicked. The serpiente used the momentum to roll over and ready himself for the oncoming attacks Eren delivered. Two blades clashed against one as Eren used all his body to push further back against the snake. But the serpiente had more experience than Eren in close combat and pushed his leg between Eren’s to trip him. Eren only stumbled but that was all the serpiente needed before putting Eren on the defensive.

 

The serpiente was playing dirty, kicking Eren back and using his shoulders to push him to the ground when Eren tried to block the sword coming at him. And Eren, being unused to fight a true enemy and not parry, was barely holding himself. But if there was anything people admired Eren for, it was his stamina and unwillingness to back down from a fight. So with a push came a shove. With a kick came a punch to the gut. And Eren used the serpiente’s exhaustion of fighting four avians before him to his advantage. On the next blow, instead of using both of his blades to defend against the sword he used only one and with the other one he tried to drive it above him and towards the serpiente’s face. But the serpiente saw through that move and locked Eren’s arm that he used to defend himself with his own and while turning his arm sideways, delivering an elbow against Eren’s gut and using the momentum he flipped him over.

 

Eren landed on his back and barely had the time to move before the serpiente tried stabbing him and instead got his sword stuck on the ground. Eren got on his feet, forgetting one of his blades, and ran towards his enemy to tackle him to the ground once again. But something Eren didn’t expect was for one blade to still be in his hand when he tackled the serpiente and for that blade to be in between them. So while Eren landed on top of the snake with the breath knocked out of him, the serpiente grunted but didn’t move to get rid of the avian on top of him.

 

While Eren tried to get the breath back in his lungs he felt something warm soak his hand. He got up just enough to see the serpiente grimace in pain and Eren knew. He knew what he had done without having to look down and see his hand stained with blood. He had no time for the shock to set in except to move off from the serpiente before he heard someone else land behind him.

 

“Eren.” Mikasa called softly to him but with an urgency that only she was able to manage. But Eren wasn’t able to look back at her. His focus was only on the serpiente slowly bleeding to death before him.

 

“Eren! Wh-what happened?” Armin called this time. But he still couldn’t look away from the pain marring the serpiente’s face.

 

“What did you just do, Eren!” Jean had finally caught up with Eren, but not in time it seemed.

 

“Eren!”

 

Mikasa reached for him and put her hand on his shoulder for comfort. But it was no comfort for the serpiente, whose eyes widened when Mikasa approached them. He whimpered and mumbled something but Eren couldn’t hear anything but his own heartbeat. So Eren got closer to the serpiente, despite Mikasa trying to stop him.

 

“P-please. End it.” The serpiente whispered, while blood started to pool around them. He had stabbed his enemy close to its heart but not close enough to guarantee a fast death. And in that moment, Eren looked up to see most of his living squad around him, looking at him with admiration, and fear.

 

A crow and a raven flew down and suddenly his squad was being checked and ushered out by their commanding officers. All except for him and Mikasa, who kept close to Eren.

 

The crow approached and looked down at Eren with equal amount of fear and shock at seeing the serpiente next to him. But the serpiente looked up at him with equal amount of fear, if not more.

 

“Please. K-kill me.” The serpiente whispered to Eren once more. And the look he gave Eren made chills run down his spine.

 

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Keith Shadis said to the serpiente. And the snake whimpered some more, in pain and lamentation. But when Shadis tried to approach the snake dying in Eren’s arms, Eren suddenly felt all the grief and shock that he tried to keep at bay.

“Sir, please. Let me do what he asks. Let me finish it.” Eren said weakly, while he grasped the serpiente’s hand in his. He wanted to show the serpiente a little bit of mercy, even though he didn’t show any for his comrades. He wanted to show how the avian people were merciful unlike their enemy. And just looking at the serpiente’s eyes, he knew he would have liked the same.

 

“Eren-“ Mikasa tried saying but Shadis interrupted her.

 

“Yeager, he is very valuable to us alive. He knows this and thus wants to avoid capture for information. Or leverage.” The serpiente kept a death grip on Eren’s hand while Shadis’ talked, but he didn’t mind. Everything his commanding officer was saying sounded so wrong. It was one of the main things his mother was afraid of when Eren announced he was going to try and be part of the Royal Flight; kept telling Eren to be careful of those who would lose their humanity in this war and tried to bring others down with them. And using someone as leverage, even if it was their enemy, someone who killed four of their comrades too, it still didn’t sit right with Eren.

 

“Please, sir. I’m sure we have captured others.” Eren tried to reason. But by the look Shadis was giving him, he wasn’t succeeding.

 

“Yeager, there is no one like him. This isn’t up for discussion. Move or be removed of your position, recruit.” Shadis took a step towards him and as an instinct, Eren’s wings spread, shoving Mikasa to the side and for Shadis to halt. After a moment of surprise at this reaction, Shadis frowned and pulled out a blade.

 

“You are putting us at risk the longer you take to move, mockingbird!” The harsh tone did nothing to frighten Eren, instead he stood up and even though he was shorter than Shadis, he tried to make up with his wingspan. It was a joke, he knew, for as a mockingbird his wingspan was way smaller than Shadis’ crow. But he needed to give the boy he almost killed a little bit of mercy, mercy he could have given his fallen comrades.

 

“Sir, the Tuuli Thea has requested a retreat.” The raven behind Shadis spoke, breaking the tension between the commanding officer and the recruit. Eren didn’t look down from Shadis and held his ground until the older man spoke again.

 

“Kill him or not, I’ll deal with you back at the Keep.” And with that, Eren and Mikasa were left alone with the dying serpiente. As soon as the crow disappeared through the tree branches, Eren knelt again beside the serpiente.

 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized, for what? He did not know. But he felt he needed to apologize to the boy dying, for he realized he was also a boy his age. The serpiente tried to smile but a cough broke away from him and blood started dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Eren took his hand again and kept apologizing over and over again.

 

It was until Eren took up his blade again that Mikasa knelt beside him.

 

“You don’t have to do this.” She tried to take the blade from Eren but he held it away from her.

 

“It’s his request. I must honor it.”

 

“You shouldn’t.”

 

“It’s what mom would have done.” Was all he said before he lifted the blade and sunk it into the serpiente’s heart. With a quiet apology, Eren started crying.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

When they got back to the Keep, it was already nightfall. He knew he needed to go back to the barracks but had no energy to make the trip all the way down. Fortunately for him, he didn’t have to make that trip for at the entrance of the Keep, Hannes, a family friend and officer, was waiting for him alongside with others from the Royal Flight.

 

“Eren. You need to go with them, now.” Hannes said with a sense of defeat and worry. Eren looked at Mikasa and saw her frowning at the Royal Flight. They both knew they were in trouble for what had happened at the clearing; they just didn’t think they would get grabbed as soon as they flew in.

 

As they started making their way towards the Royal Flight, Hannes cleared his throat and addressed Mikasa,

 

“I’m afraid it’s just Eren, Mikasa. You have to make your way down to the barracks and report to Rico.” Mikasa looked ready to argue but the Royal Flight moved quickly to gather Eren and take him to one of the upper levels of the Keep.

 

The Keep was built similarly as a bird’s nest, high above ground and on and inside a tree. They say that a long time ago, when the falcons were still ruling over the avians and serpiente, they fed their magic to this tree to make it grow as big and tick as it could to give both the avian people and the serpiente a single place to live together. And due to this, the Keep holds several levels, but none of them with serpiente living in it. And for safety to the Tuuli Thea, the queen of the avian people, she resides amongst the upper levels with her entourage and Royal Flight guarding her back. No one was able to go to the upper levels unless upon request or called upon. So that’s how Eren found himself flying to the top of the Keep, with six guards of the Royal Flight surrounding him.

 

Once landing on the intended level, the Royal Flight did not move away from Eren as Historia Reiss, Tuuli Thea of the avian people, and his father entered the room.

 

“Please, Eren Yeager, join us at the table.” Rod Reiss spoke as he and his daughter moved to sit at the head of the table. Already there was Keith Shadis, Commander Dot Pixis and Darius Zackly, waiting for their Tuuli Thea to sit down before they did.

 

Once Historia sat down and everyone followed, servants came in and brought food and wine to everyone sitting, even Eren. Not used to this treatment and knowing that this was not going to be a good talk, Eren kept his hands underneath the table, not touching anything. Not that he had any appetite or even wanted to grad a fork with his bloodstained hand.

 

“Shall we start, dear?” Rod Reiss started, directing his gaze at the Tuuli Thea. And at her brief nod, Keith Shadis started.

 

“Before you, my queen, is the traitor recruit Eren Yeager-“

 

“Traitor? How does his actions make him a traitor, Shadis?” Interrupted Dot Pixis, all while carefully cutting his meat and eating small bites out of his plate. Darius Zackly said nothing, and instead opted to drink from his goblet of wine.

 

“He disobeyed an order!” Shadis was quickly losing his temper and turning red in the face from anger.

 

“Quiet, Shadis. You are still in the presence of your queen.” Pixis replied back, while smirking at Shadis. Before Shadis could reply again, Rod Reiss spoke.

 

“While his actions are questionable, he was able to kill one of the most powerful serpiente singlehandedly.”

 

“And he was still alive when I got there! We could have had him here right now if it wasn’t for-“

 

“Why did you hold his hand?” Historia’s quiet voice interrupted Shadi’s angry tantrum. The whole room got quiet and looked at Eren, who was trying hard to make himself as small as possible. Once he realized that everyone’s attention was on him, he swallowed loudly and looked up at his queen.

 

“Because everyone deserves mercy, and he asked me to end his life instead.” Historia smiled weakly at Eren as if she understood what he was talking about. But how could she know? She was no soldier, she didn’t see how his friends were split open, didn’t see how hard the serpiente had fought to come out of the fight alive, and how even when he was dying the serpiente could have easily poisoned Eren but instead let the fight and his life end.

 

“Do you realize the severity of your actions, young man?” Darius Zackly finally spoke. He folded his hands in front of him while he stared at Eren as Eren shook his head as a no.

 

“You just managed to kill and give mercy to the man meant to be the future Nag.” Dot Pixis replied and smiled broadly at Eren.

 

Eren’s eyes widened while he looked around him. Shadis looked at him with hate, while the rest looked at him with admiration, especially Rod Reiss.

 

“The death of Furlan Church will anger the serpiente but this is what will weaken them. This is our time to take advantage of their vulnerability and strike!” Rod Reiss spoke, and while Shadis was agreeing with him and discussing how they could plan for their next attack while the serpiente mourned their future king, Zackly was still staring at Eren.

 

“I think before we get ahead of ourselves, we give the boy a break and send him down to rest.” Pixis said to the group and they all agreed.

“You did well today, kid. I hope you have high ambitions for your future because this will open a lot of opportunities for you.” And this was the best farewell he was going to get from his commanding officers and queen.

 

Eren got up and made his way out to take flight once more, but before he could, Historia stopped him. The rest of the men were still discussing how to use this to their advantage by the table while Historia pulled Eren aside.

 

“Are you okay?” His Tuuli Thea asked him. He blinked twice before the question registered. His queen was asking, genuinely about his well being. He noticed that several of the guards were still close to her, but they gave her enough room to make her have a false sense of privacy.

 

“I’m sorry, my Queen. I’m still trying to understand everything.” He answered honestly while his cheeks burned hot from embarrassment.

 

“You don’t need to be sorry to me. What you did was very brave, and not many would have done what you did.” She smiled sweetly at him before taking his hands in hers.

 

“Your actions give us hope.”

 

“Hope for what? My Queen.” He added hurriedly to not seem disrespectful.

 

“For peace. Our people cannot take this war much longer, no matter what everyone else says. It’s a shame not everyone thinks of peace.”

 

“My Queen. I don’t think the Serpiente will want to talk about peace now.” Eren frowned. It seemed like a good idea, to discuss about peace, but he did just kill their future king. Peace talks would be the last thing on the Serpiente’s mind.

 

“I think now is the best time, actually.” Historia smiled once more at Eren before releasing his hands.

“Best I let you go rest then, we can discuss this another time.” Eren wanted to ask what she meant by that, after all it was not every day that your queen asked to speak to you about peace with the enemy.

 

So he nodded his goodbyes and took flight.


	2. Chapter 2

 

By the time Eren landed on the lower level to get to the barracks, dusk had already fallen. The Keep was lit up and radiated heat, as it should like any other nest. The soldiers outside of the barracks were huddled together, none of them sharing the usual banter or laughter. Instead, they all looked around worriedly, talking in hushed tones and keeping close together in threes and fours.

 

Eren hovered for a second longer before touching the ground and putting away his wings, hesitating when seeing the amount of soldiers gathered outside of the barracks. The hall got quiet and everyone seemed to be staring at Eren, fear and judgment in their eyes. The whispering didn’t relent after that and some started to openly point at Eren.

 

“It’s him!” He heard someone say.

 

“He killed their King…”

 

He didn’t know how to act to this kind of attention, and he decided then that is was not the kind of attention he wanted to begin with. He still didn’t know how to feel about everything that had just happened. And from the brief encounter with some of his superiors and the Tuuli Thea, he didn’t know what to think. Everything seemed to be happening so fast; seeing his comrades’ dead, killing a serpiente, it all seemed to be too much for him to think about at the moment. But looking down at his hands to avoid looking at the other soldiers, and seeing the blood still there, he couldn’t think of anything else but the look the serpiente gave him when he drove his blade down to his heart.

 

“Eren!” He turned and saw Hannes quickly approaching him. The man was by himself, which Eren was thankful for. He didn’t think he was emotionally strong enough to deal with Mikasa’s questions or Jean’s bothersome face. He knew once he reached the dorms, everyone would be asking him what happened _up there_. Or maybe bring up the serpiente’s death. None of which Eren wanted to talk about. In fact, he didn’t want to talk at all, period.

 

“Are you alright, Eren?” Hannes asked him once he reached him. Eren was only able to give a slight nod before looking down at his hands again. The look Hannes was giving him was the same look everyone would be giving him at the dorm.

 

“I’ll go with you to your dorm. Maybe that way people won’t think twice about bothering you.” He said loud enough while looking at the soldiers still staring at Eren. He took hold of Eren’s elbow and led him down towards the barracks.

 

The barracks were at the very bottom of the Keep, just were the roots of the tree dug into the ground. Why the avians decided to make the place the serpiente were supposed to live in their barracks, was beyond Eren. But out of the whole Keep, it was the place that gave them the most protection against the weather. Being underneath the tree trunk and having its roots act like staircases, it felt like a separate city from the Keep. The underground was so big that it should have been used as a city. Instead, it was used for the less fortunate and the Army. But the army was starting to lose numbers in this ongoing war so now even less than a third of the underground was used.

Long ago, there had been talks of part of the Keep being moved to the underground for protection, but ever since the Reiss family rose to power, walls were created along the perimeter of the Keep’s trunk instead. This fueled the avians’ paranoia over a possible serpiente breach, but so far the walls and the Keep remained untouched by the snakes.

 

It didn’t take long to reach the underground through the main entrance, and luckily for Eren there were even fewer soldiers at the bottom. It seemed like word hadn’t spread yet that he made it back, and he wished it would stay that way at least until he reached his shared room. Throughout the whole walk, Hannes walked alongside him, quiet and trying not to stare worriedly at Eren. It almost worked until they reached the dorms but Hannes had to stop him before letting Eren continue.

 

“Eren.” Hannes waited for him to look up before continuing.

“I don’t know exactly what happened out there and I don’t know what will happen next, within our walls or on the other side.” He turned and took hold of Eren’s shoulders and gripped them tightly.

“Just don’t lose sight of what is important.” He finished saying, still staring intensely into Eren’s eyes, before he let go and walked away.

 

He took a deep breath to calm himself after Hannes’ words. He was right. Regardless of what happened in the forest, he was still a soldier fighting to be part of the Royal Flight and protect those in need. In fact, killing the serpiente’s future King helped bring him closer to one of his goals. He already talked to his Tuuli Thea, something not everyone could say they had the privilege to do so. And the inner circle knew him now and by the sound of it they wanted to use him further after he finally, if accidentally and unwillingly, proved himself. Maybe this would make him join the Royal Flight sooner than he thought, sooner than someone like _Jean_.

 

At the thought of Jean, anger shot through him and gave him the courage to keep walking. He finally killed one serpiente, so he could kill more now. He now knew how it felt to drive his blade in ones heart. He was ready for more, and nothing could stop him now.

 

He shoved the door open for the men’s dorm just to be greeted by Armin, Connie and Jean. The look on everyone’s faces was enough to make Eren reconsider his last train of thought. At least it was just the three of them and not the whole fleet. But seeing where Thomas and Franz were supposed to be, and instead looking at an empty space was enough to center him to this new reality.

 

“Eren!” It seemed like all three simultaneously called out to him. But Connie was the first one to step out of the trio to approach Eren.

 

“What happened up there? Did they give you fancy water?”

 

“Shut up, Connie. So he killed a serpiente, so what?” Jean replied and shoved Connie out of the way to stare down at Eren.

 

“It was their future king, though! Even you couldn’t manage to do that!” Connie laughed at Jean before trying to push him away but Jean being taller he shoved him by his head first.

 

“He is right, horse face.” Eren tried to banter with them, but his smirk didn’t fit his face at the moment. Jean stopped trying to shove Connie away and looked back at Eren.

 

“Are you stupid? Or did you forget that you left your post to do something stupid?” He returned Jean’s glare and stepped up to glower at him.

 

“If you hadn’t been fidgeting we could have heard them sooner, and saved them!” At this point, Armin knew they were about to get into another fight and he tried putting himself between them to avoid this.

 

“Guys, please. This is not the time to be fighting.”

 

“And you shoving your way in saved them?!” Jean yelled over Armin. His anger came back from before and he tried to push Armin away to get to Jean.

 

“At least I tried to save them!” He was ready to punch Jean in the face before Armin grabbed him by the torso and tried to pull him away again while Connie tried to do the same with Jean.

 

“Guys! Please quiet down. We are already in trouble as it is. ” This seemed to make all of them stop and Eren looked down at Armin.

 

“Trouble?” He asked, not understanding why they would be in trouble if they hadn’t fought yet. He knew that every time Jean and him got into a fistfight they all got cleaning duty plus running laps until dinnertime. But this time, they hadn’t even landed a punch in each other’s faces.

 

“Didn’t they tell you _up there_? Your little stunt got us all a week of retraining.” Jean spit down at his feet before leaving to his shared room at the end of the dorm.

 

“What does he mean, Armin?” He asked his friend unable to understand why killing a serpiente would grant them all retraining. Arming sighed before pulling him to the side of the common room, Connie following close behind.

“It was not just you who left their post, Eren.” Arming started saying.

“I have to ask first, though. What happened?”

 

“You saw what happened.” He knew he was going to be asked about it, he just didn’t think Armin would be the first one pestering him about it. He thought that his childhood friend would have his back when people would start asking questions.

 

“We saw what happened _after_.” Connie replied. Eren looked at him briefly before looking back at Armin, pleading at him with his eyes not to ask further. But it seemed it was for naught.

 

“Eren, we heard a screech.” Armin offered.

 

“Yeah, that was me.” Connie looked worriedly at Armin and Armin’s frown deepened.

 

“That couldn’t have been you. It sounded…”

 

“It didn’t sound like any avians we know.” Armin finished for Connie. He didn’t understand what Armin was getting at and by the look on his face Armin was able to tell he was still confused.

 

“What I mean is, it didn’t sound like _you_ , a mockingbird.”

 

“So, what, it just sounded deeper? Like a crow? You know my dad was one so maybe I’m finally taking after him now.” Armin shook his head and let Eren finish before continuing.

 

“We know what a crow sounds like. Your screech didn’t sound like a crow, or any avian in this Keep. No avian has a screech that loud. Eren… they were able to hear you from the Keep. That’s how the commanding officers got to you so quick.” He shook his head in denial. The Keep was too far away from where he was earlier that day. He remembered the fly back and that clearing was closer to the serpiente’s territory than theirs. And for Armin to say that his screech was heard all the way to the Keep.

 

“That’s impossible.” Was all he managed to say.

 

“I’m surprised they didn’t ask you about that _up there_.” Connie tried to turn the conversation into a more lighthearted subject by nervously laughing. But it didn’t work. Armin still looked at Eren with worry and Eren didn’t know what to do with this information.

 

It was then that he remembered something Armin had mentioned when he was trying to break Jean’s nose.

 

“You said we got retraining to do.”

 

“Well, when we heard that screech of yours, we all flew to see what caused it. Pretty stupid of us if you ask me, but on our way we ran into Jean looking frantically. I thought he was going to piss his pants.” Connie laughed at this and Armin even shared a small smile.

“You can already guess how Mikasa reacted at this. So, yeah, we all broke the first rule we were not supposed to break. Ever.” Leaving our posts, the most important rule. And they broke it, all because of his screech.

 

“I’m sorry.” He admitted but Connie was already shaking his head.

 

“No need to be sorry, you did what you thought was best. Even if Franz, Thomas, Mina or Hannah are not here anymore, you have proved that you’ll fight anyone for us.” With that Connie punched lightly Eren’s shoulder and left for his own room. They watched him walk away before Armin spoke again.

 

“We all knew what we were getting into when we joined the army.” Armin offered him as consolation, but it meant nothing if the people he was supposed to be protecting died. He was not their flight leader or commander but he still joined the army to protect everyone. He knew it would be impossible, that Armin was right and there would always be casualties in war. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t die trying.

 

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.” Armin smiled sadly at him before they both left to go to their rooms.

 

“For now, lets not mention that screech to anyone.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Due to retraining, they had to wake up before sunrise along with the rest of the new cadets. Going through the motions of training was second nature to Eren by now that he didn’t need to think about what he was doing, he simply let his body do the work for him while he tried to keep his mind blank from anything that had to do with yesterday.

 

All night he kept turning on his bed, unable to sleep. He felt restless, like his body was full of energy and needed to go out and spread his wings to fly to the other side of the mountains, until he reached the sea. He had never before felt such restlessness, even when he first started his training and was eager to start. Or when he first learned how to fly. And now, going through the motions of diving to the left, to the right, and back, to avoid Jean’s next hit, was not doing anything for that restlessness he felt the night before.

 

“Switch!” Their commander called and Jean handed Eren the blunt dummy dagger for training.

 

Getting a hold of it, he tested it for a moment before looking back at Jean. But instead of Jean he saw the silver and blond hair of the serpiente. His eyes widened when he felt the dagger fall from his grip along with something wet. He looked at it and gasped at seeing the blood still there on his hand, the blood of the serpiente as fresh as if he had just killed him. He knew it wasn’t possible, that this had already happened. So why was his hand still soaked with blood?

 

“Yeager!” He looked up in surprise and saw Jean approach him.

“Are you done daydreaming?”

 

“What?” He responded weakly.

 

“We are here because of you so stop lagging before you get me in more trouble.” Jean scolded him. But he didn’t care, because he swore he saw the serpiente in front of him. He looked around to see if it was just his imagination and believed it was but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He looked at his hand again and it was clean of any blood. He looked up at Jean again, who was looking at him with such hate, and seeing that hate was not enough to shake him out of this fear and confusion he felt this time.

 

He needed to leave, was all he could think about. He suddenly felt like the underground was chocking him. There were a lot of people around him, looking at him, judging him, and he wanted it to stop. He needed space and fresh air. He needed to see the sky.

 

So that’s what he did, he left his training post, all while Jean was yelling at his retreating back.

 

* * *

 

 

Less people were looking at him once he made it out of the underground, but just reaching above ground was not enough to feel free. He needed to get out of these walls, of the Keep, to actually fly like he meant to last night.

 

Getting out of the Keep was not as hard as it was before. He figured that with the serpiente mourning the loss of their future King, the avians could rest a little. There were still patrols by the walls and outside of the walls but it was not as spread out as it had been the day before. That meant that both the avians and serpiente were keeping close to their nests for the time being. It helped him at that moment, for as soon as he slipped out of the gates, he spread his wings and flew.

 

He didn’t know where he was heading to until he saw the clearing ahead of him. And he didn’t know why he had the impulse to dive down and land there. But he did.

 

The clearing was just the same as it was the day before, minus the bodies. He knew someone must have taken his flight mates back to the Keep to be taken to their loved ones, and he knew he shouldn’t be surprised to see the serpiente gone either, and yet a part of him was surprised to not see the body there. He wished he could still see the serpiente there so at least he would know it was not in the training grounds like he imagined.

 

He shook his head and laughed a little hysterically at himself. It seemed morbid for him to go back to the one place that he was dreading to see again, the one place that was causing him such turmoil and nightmares. But here he was, back to the same spot that caused all this. It seemed so insignificant at the moment, killing that serpiente. But now, knowing who it was and what his actions could mean for the future of this war, it didn’t seem so insignificant anymore.

 

The rain the night before had already washed away most of the blood from the fight, but he didn’t need to see the blood to see where the serpiente was. It would be a long time until he could forget it, and for now, we didn’t want to. This served him as a reminder of what he was fighting for and what he would have to do in the future as a soldier and maybe as a member of the Royal Flight. Hannes told him to not lose sight of what was important, but what was that anyway? To keep each other alive from the serpiente? To die for the Tuuli Thea? Last night he thought he could do this as a soldier, to keep killing serpiente, as many as necessary. But now?

 

_“I think now is the best time, actually.”_

Peace. How could a solder bring peace to two societies that had been fighting way before his parents were even born? The Tuuli Thea was still young, and such thoughts seemed to be a child’s dream. What did she know about this war anyway? For all he knew, the Tuuli Thea had been hidden away all her life inside the Keep and never had to see bloodshed nor experience loss like he had. But it didn’t matter, whatever his Tuuli Thea said he had to do he would do. He had to believe her, for the sake of his friends and the rest of the avians.

 

A slight rustle behind him told him he was not alone anymore but he was not worried, he had heard those wings flap since he was ten, he would recognize them anywhere.

 

“Eren.” Mikasa called out to him as she approached him. Having her arrive and call his name like she did now reminded him further of yesterday, and kneeling where he was now, he was sure she thought of the same thing.

 

“What are you doing here, Mikasa?” He had no patience for her, for he knew that she was going to pester him with the questions that Armin didn’t get to ask him last night. She was always worried unnecessarily about him and he didn’t like the fact that she followed him out here.

 

“I saw you leave. It’s reckless of you to be so far away from the Keep without a weapon.” She pointed out and it was at that moment that Eren realized she was right. He was in uniform but had no weapon. If a serpiente had sneaked up on him before Mikasa got here, he knew he would not have survived. This angered him further, he didn’t want to rely on Mikasa anymore and her coming and pointing out the obvious did not make him feel better.

 

“I’m fine, just go back!” He yelled at her. He knew he was lashing out at the wrong person but at the moment, he just wanted to be alone and deal with this on his own, without having Mikasa breathing down his neck like always.

 

But instead of leaving or replying, Mikasa knelt down beside Eren. She was still in alert in case a serpiente came, he could tell, but he was taken aback when she said nothing and simply stayed there beside him.

 

He sighed deeply and looked back again to the spot he had been staring at before, where the serpiente had taken his last breath. He was tired of feeling like this and it had barely been a day. A lifetime of this would be insufferable.

 

“Why am I doing this, Mikasa?” He asked her softly. He didn’t necessarily want a reply but knew his adopted sister would give one anyway.

 

“Because you want to help.” He was not expecting that answer and he looked at her stunned. He didn’t want to admit that he expected her to yell at him instead.

“She made us promise to help. So we are trying to help those who need us.”

 

“She didn’t mean to help a snake.” He scoffed.

 

“She said those who need us. He needed you.”

 

“To kill him?” This conversation was getting nowhere and Eren was getting more exasperated with Mikasa.

 

“Yes. Because you knew otherwise they would have tortured him. Commander Shadis said so. And so you kept your promise.”

 

That promise. Just like the serpiente’s death, that promise would haunt him forever. It was the last thing he heard his mother ask of him and so he thought that by joining the army he could keep that promise, honor it even. Mikasa and Armin didn’t stop him so he thought he was doing the right thing. But killing someone that was also trying to survive didn’t feel like the right thing. The serpiente hated avians and in return they hated the serpiente. But after seeing such a bloody death yesterday, was this war worth it even though they didn’t know the main cause? Or was his mother right by saying the avian soldiers were just throwing their lives away?

 

Eren got up and Mikasa followed. They stood there for a moment while Eren looked around the clearing, trying to get the resolve and courage for what he would do next, for he had already decided where he stood in this war. He was afraid and he was not going to deny it. He did not know if his decision would make him an enemy of those closest to him and he was afraid of this, of becoming their enemy and having nowhere to go. But looking at Mikasa now, how she had followed him to this clearing regardless if they would get in more trouble or if they got ambushed, she still came to be beside him. And with this in mind, he found a little courage.

 

“Do you think we could have peace with them, after this?” Mikasa’s eyes widened in surprise but she didn’t reply right away. Instead she searched Eren’s face to try and figure out what he was thinking. But she only saw the same stubbornness and determination he was known for.

 

“Yes.” Was all she needed to say to make him realize that he was not alone. That she would follow him anywhere, even if that meant outside of the safety of the Keep. Even if it meant leaving everyone behind, for him.

And with her support, he took out his wings and waited for her to do the same before they both leapt into the sky and returned back to the Keep.

 

If he had waited longer and looked again beyond the first line of trees behind him, he would have seen two gray eyes watching him. And the arrow aimed at his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for the support!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is inspired by the book Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I've taken some liberties to use certain plot points and names but that is all. Also, this is all for free so please don't sue me for using this amazing story as inspiration.

There’s something about the quietness of the forest before something happens. The wind stops and the leaves on trees stop rustling like baby chicks waiting for dinner. From the very top of the trees to its roots, nothing trembles and nothing moves. It’s as if the animals and insects know of the imminent danger that’s coming and they all hide and wait for the danger to pass. Such animal instincts are not lost on everyone, especially those in tune with their surroundings, but only those who are considered prey have these instincts to help them choose between flight or fight. Most of the prey chooses to fly, rarely any choose to fight, and when faced against the jaws of a snake, why would you not choose to run? Or in Eren’s case, fly?

 

It’s thanks to those instincts as a mockingbird that helped him hear the quietness of the forest and the imminent danger that was about to get them. It’s thanks to this instinct that Eren managed to push Mikasa and himself out of the way before the arrow struck them. They both tumbled onto a tree branch, barely keeping themselves upright before diving to another branch below them, seeing another arrow barely miss them again.

 

“Fly, Eren!” He heard Mikasa urge him as he leapt to another branch to avoid another arrow. He looked back to see their attackers but couldn’t see them as another arrow shot at him. He stumbled back and fell from the tree branch, hitting another one on his way down to the ground knocking the air out of his lungs, and another grazing his cheek and cutting it open.

“Eren!” Mikasa yelled at him again before diving to the ground to get him.

 

He started coughing, trying to get air back in his lungs. He felt the blood drip down his cheek and reached with the back of his hand to wipe it off. The cut was already starting to heal by the time he got on his hands and knees. He looked around wildly hoping that whoever was shooting at them hadn’t seen him fall gracelessly from the tree. What an embarrassment, he thought. Not only did he come to serpiente territory unarmed, but he also managed to show them how weak he was as an avian to be able to be taken down from the safety of a tree. Whatever realization he just had at the clearing, it would all be for naught if he could not make it out of this alive. And the worst thing about this was that Mikasa was entangled in this mess with him now.

 

Just then, Mikasa landed next to him, crouching to make herself a smaller target.

“Eren! Can you get up?” She started saying but when he turned to look at her, he suddenly saw him, their attacker. His brown eyes widened as they met the cold, crimson eyes of the serpiente aiming another arrow at them. The serpiente’s eyes narrowed as his lips drew back in a snarl, showing the dangerous fangs of a viper, before he let go of another arrow. Eren barely had enough time to drag Mikasa down to the ground with his arm around her neck.

 

It didn’t matter, the arrow was not meant for Mikasa but for him. And with a resounding thud, Eren was flipped on his back as the strength of the arrow struck one of his wings. Another screech left his mouth as the pain was felt all across his body. But he knew that if they did not escape now, the serpiente would shoot them again. So he grabbed Mikasa’s hand before she had time to react and pulled her to her feet.

 

“Go!” He yelled before they both sprinted away from the serpiente. He took hold of the end of the arrow stuck in his wing and pulled it off. He screeched again but willed himself to ignore the pain for now while he tried to flap his wings to take flight again and join Mikasa who was already up and flying between the trees.

 

No other arrow was shot their way and Eren didn’t stop to look back again this time, he simply let himself focus instead on keeping his wings from giving out.

 

* * *

 

 

Once they saw the Keep ahead of them, Mikasa and Eren landed and decided to walk the rest of the way.

 

“Let me wrap your injury before we make it inside.” Mikasa kept insisting but he kept shoving her hands away, telling her that once they made it back to the barracks he would have Armin patch him up. Fortunately, the arrow hadn’t completely rendered his wing unusable. It was painful but he could still move it, and by now the blood was starting to clot around the wound. He couldn’t put his wings away due to the injury and hoped none of the soldiers who saw them on their way to the barracks asked any questions.

 

It was unusual for an avian inside the Keep to have their wings out. This was something only reserved for the battleground, not even nobility kept their wings out. Having your wings out made you seem arrogant and rebellious. While everyone learned to control his or her wings from an early age, they were still bothersome to have out and took too much space. And while soldiers were told to train with their wings out so they could use them in battle, it was still not common for a soldier to walk around the Keep with wings on their back.

 

So they tried to make their way to the barracks as quickly as they could even though some soldiers still looked at them and his wings with distrust. Luckily, none of them bothered to stop them on their way down and as soon as they reached the men’s dorms, Eren felt his wings drag on the ground from exhaustion. With the adrenaline now gone, the pain was making itself more noticeable. In fact, sharp pains started to shoot from the tip of his wing to where it met on his back.

 

“I’ll call Armin.” Mikasa said before she left to go find Armin. They walked to the side of the building to be shielded from soldiers coming in and out of the dorm. It was about to be nightfall and soldiers were starting to gather at the mess hall for dinner. Thinking about dinner, Eren’s stomach grumbled but he didn’t think he could eat anything today.

 

He was still somewhat in shock. He knew how dangerous it was to have gone to the clearing after Mikasa reached him but he never thought a serpiente would be waiting there to catch whoever dared to go back. Apparently, he was the one stupid enough to dare to go there. But the serpiente shouldn’t have been there in the first place. He thought back to what Rod Reiss had said yesterday and how after the death of the future Nag, the serpiente would stay close to their nest in mourning. So, why was a serpiente at the clearing? And was it just that one snake or were there others too he didn’t see?

 

It was too much for him to think about and his head was hurting from the lack of food, energy, and the pain in his wing. He leaned against the wall and let himself slide to the floor, careful not to put too much weight on his bad wing. He felt exhausted not only at flying away and getting shot at today, but also at running away from everything. This war was starting to seem way too bothersome and tiresome. He had done a couple of rookie scouting missions to get him and his squad familiarized with the terrain beyond their territory. He had seen death in such missions and seen the way avians were brutalized by the serpiente. He lived it firsthand with his comrades yesterday, saw how they were poisoned and struck down right in front of him. Saw the hate in the serpiente’s eyes today and cowered from it. He was afraid of that hate, of being shot down from the air and landing on his deathbed.

 

It wasn’t fair. He was supposed to answer to their hate with his own, not with fear. They had killed so many of them, so why was he still hesitating and thinking the opposite of what he should do, which was to kill them? He didn’t understand how killing one serpiente changed him and his views about them. He didn’t understand why this was making him even reconsider his actions. He was trained to kill them, he grew up hating them and wishing he could. So, what changed?

 

“Eren?” He turned to the side and saw Marco blocking the way, looking down at him with worry in his eyes.

“Hey, Marco.” He gave him a small smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. He knew he probably looked awful, he felt like it anyway. And he was right as Marco approached him in long strides and kneeled down in front of him.

 

“What happened to you? Do you need me to take you to the infirmary?” Marco looked as if he was about to reach for Eren but hesitated, unsure about what to do. Eren rested his head against the wall again before he replied, “Nah, it’s okay. I’m waiting for Mikasa to get Armin.”

He winced as another sharp pain shot through his wing. Marco saw this and finally reached for him, grabbing both of his forearms to pull Eren up from the ground.

 

“Come on, I can help you inside while we wait for them.” He took one of Eren’s arms and put it across his shoulders to help him walk up to the building. He didn’t need help walking, his legs were just fine, but he didn’t voice any complaints as he let Marco help him into the dorms and into his room. No one was in the main common room and for this he was thankful. The less people who saw him like this the better.

 

“Please don’t tell Jean or anyone.” Marco was still looking at him worriedly as he placed Eren on his bed. He looked like he was about to argue but a swift knock at the door stopped him. The door opened before they could ask who it was, but it was just Armin and Mikasa on the other side. Said blond had a first aid kit in his hands and quickly moved to inspect the injury on Eren’s wing. Mikasa closed the door softly and leaned against the wall next to it.

 

“Mikasa explained to me what happened on the way here.” Armin said while cleaning the wound with a damp cloth.

 

“What happened, exactly?” Marco asked again, trying to understand why Eren was bleeding from one of his wings. Armin looked up at Eren for a moment, unsure if he should answer, but Mikasa beat him to it.

 

“Nothing.” That was all she offered Marco. The freckled boy frowned at Mikasa but didn’t argue with her.

 

Eren had to give it to Marco, the boy was loyal to a fault, and while he didn’t understand what was going on he was not going to cause any problems for either of them. He felt pity for him and how many tried to take advantage of his good boy persona. He saw how Jean would hang around Marco most of the time, depending on him to defend him whenever he and Eren fought. It wasn’t fair to Marco. But he also didn’t want for Marco to turn his back on Jean if they were to tell him what happened. He didn’t know if it would be a smart idea to involve him while they were still trying to figure out what to do. He knew Armin would follow him and Mikasa. Of that he was sure.

 

“Mikasa accidentally stabbed Eren while training.” Armin saw Eren hesitate and saved him from trying to decide whether to tell Marco or not.

 

“What!” Marco looked astonished at Mikasa, unable to believe that she would actually hurt Eren. But Mikasa played it perfectly, her cheeks heating up lightly while she pulled her red scarf over her mouth to hide half of her face.

 

“It’s okay, Marco. It’s just a small wound, I’m sure by tomorrow it will have healed.” He tried to reassure Marco and knew he succeeded when the boy started to relax a little.

 

“Alright then. I won’t tell Jean, I’m sure he would not shut up if he knew and the last thing you need right now is getting into another fist fight with him.” Armin chuckled a little while Eren looked affronted.

 

“Thanks, Marco.” He said once Armin started to finish patching him up. He looked at his wing and saw that even though Armin had wrapped it with gauze, he could still move it.

 

“Don’t mention it. Do you need me to bring you anything from the mess?”

 

“Yes, please!” He beamed up at Marco before he nodded and left the room, leaving only Mikasa and Armin with him.

 

“I feel bad lying to him.” He admitted to his friends.

 

“Mikasa explained a little bit of what happened. I can only imagine what you are thinking so maybe lying to him was a better alternative for now until we figure out what _you_ want to do.” Armin replied. He made quick work of putting away the extra gauze in the small box containing the rest of the first aid kit.

 

“I’m not really sure.” He admitted.

 

“Well, the way I see things now is that ever since you killed that serpiente you feel regret.” Eren looked up at Armin, not expecting him to say that. It was true that he felt some remorse for killing that serpiente, even though he shouldn’t. He knew Armin could read him better than anyone, but was he that obvious? If Armin was able to pick it up, could anyone?

 

“I know I shouldn’t feel any regret. I joined and trained to be a part of the Royal Flight so that I could kill them, to avenge everyone. I have even fought with Jean over this, over his weak resolve to kill a serpiente. And now look at me, I’m a complete joke to them.” He clenched his hands, trying to hold back the tears of frustration. He already cried, for a serpiente no less, when an avian was supposed to hold back their tears. Crying was a sign of weakness amongst their kind and yet he shed some for his enemy. The avian reserve.

 

“Then why do you feel regret? They killed Carla. They killed Armin’s family, Connie’s family.” Mikasa didn’t hold back with the brutal truth. This is what frustrated Eren so much. They all grew up hating the serpiente, even if they didn’t know why, it was easy to hate them when their families started dying because of them. And that’s why Eren was stuck between regret and frustration. Why his emotions were acting like an internal hurricane. Because…

 

“Because even if the serpiente killed them, we were born in a war we don’t understand.” Armin finished his thought. And he was right, he agreed with Armin.

“I’ve been having these thoughts as well, lately. I tried searching in the library but couldn’t come up with an explanation as to why this war started or _who_ was the one who started it. We’ve been fighting it for centuries and it has become part of our culture now, to know war that no one stops to ask why we keep fighting. We simply do, to avenge those who die due to it like our family has.” Silence settled over them as they all stopped to think about what Armin just admitted. They agreed with him, but what could they do about it? They were barely fresh out of training, just rookie soldiers trying to make this war into something more than what it was.

 

“The Tuuli Thea said my actions with the serpiente could give some people hope for peace. Armin, do you think some avians think about peace instead of war?” He needed reassurance that they were not the only ones who wanted to stop this war. Even if Armin was right and the avians only knew about war and death, there should be some that had given peace some thought.

 

“Carla seemed to think so.” Mikasa answered for Armin.

 

That’s right, he thought. In fact, his mother had been very vocal amongst the avians when it came to killing serpiente, trying to get them to stop. His father never said anything to oppose her; instead he would stand behind her, quietly, while other avians turned up their heads in arrogance and ignored her. His father never defended her. He only did when Eren started asking questions about the war and his mother tried to stop his curiosity, pleading with him never to try and join the Royal Flight. But his father never waited long enough after his mother’s death to stop him from actually joining the army. Once Carla died, his father died in his heart too.

 

“The Queen seems to think so, too. Maybe that’s a good start.” Armin added.

 

“Even if she thinks so, many won’t listen to her. You know its Rod Reiss the one who controls the Keep.” He argued. Everyone knew the current Tuuli Thea acted more like a puppet than an actual queen. It was her father who pulled the strings in the Keep, the one who ordered everyone around.

In avian society, the Tuuli Thea was the one who held the power, not her pair bond. But before Eren was born, Rod Reiss had held power, even after his Tuuli Thea passed away. Even when Historia was a babe and she was made Tuuli Thea as an infant, Rod Reiss never gave his power away. The avians grew used to his ruling, and as long as the Tuuli Thea showed her face on important ceremonies, everyone was content with Rod Reiss acting as ruler.

 

“Maybe if we-“Armin started saying but was interrupted as the door opened once again and Jean peeked his head in.

 

“Oy, Eren. There is someone looking for you outside.” Was all he said. He had a haunting look and seemed to be slightly shaking from panic. Whoever it was, if it made Jean react this way, it wouldn’t be good.

Eren stood up and made his way out of the room with Mikasa and Armin behind him and Jean not far behind. If it was a commanding officer that saw them leave the Keep, he could understand Jean’s reaction. Maybe that’s why he was following them, to see Eren embarrass himself again in front of their commanding officer.

 

When they reached the common room and saw no one, Eren turned to yell at Jean for wasting his time. However, Jean simply went for the door.

“She’s waiting outside.” He offered as an explanation before he exited the building, and all three followed him in silence.

 

Their dorms were in one of the three main buildings: one for the men, one for the women, and another one for commanding officers. The two main buildings had four floors, the bottom floor mainly for cadets while the upper floors were for the more experienced soldier. And while these two buildings were next to each other, the building for the commanding officers was across the training field. Cadets and recruits felt a false sense of privacy knowing their commanding officers were not close to their living spaces, but that never stopped older soldiers in their building to put the fledglings in line.

 

And luckily for them, the underground required a lot of lanterns in order to see which meant there were also a lot of shadows and dark places to hide. Whoever “she” Jean was talking about used this to her advantage. They were only able to see the figure standing at the end of the building when they were a couple of steps away.

 

At this point, Eren knew it couldn’t be a commanding officer anymore. No one with authority would want to meet a cadet here, hidden from everyone. And if it had been a serpiente, which was very unlikely, Jean would not be alive. But he didn’t have to figure out who it was anymore, as the small figure turned towards them and removed her hood to reveal soft, blonde hair and crystal blue eyes.

 

“My Queen!” Both Eren and Armin exclaimed but Historia quickly shushed them and stepped closer to them.

 

“Please, I cannot be here for long.” She said in order to calm them down. Mikasa and Jean seemed to be the only ones who tried to be unfazed by her presence.

 

“What are you doing here, my Queen?” Eren asked.

 

“I came to speak to you, about our talk last night. Have you given it any thought?”

 

“I… I didn’t think we would speak this soon, actually.” He replied sheepishly.

 

“I need an answer, now.” For someone that they all thought was only a puppet, she didn’t look like the defenseless hawk everyone made her out to be. She looked determined and with purpose now, not lifeless.

 

“Why? Why the rush?” Armin asked. Eren didn’t doubt that Armin was already thinking three steps ahead of them.

 

“Because if we wait any longer to act, my father is going to order you all to your death in two days.” His brown eyes widened as he took in this news. He knew he should have cared more when he heard Rod Reiss talk about attacking the serpiente while they mourned. But were they? Just a couple of hours ago a serpiente attacked him and Mikasa so surely there were some serpiente on guard in case of an attack.

 

“Are you sure?” Jean was stupid enough to ask their Tuuli Thea. Eren glared at him, not understanding why he was still there.

 

“What do you have planned?” Armin interrupted before Eren decided to tell Jean off. Historia looked worriedly at everyone and even flinched back a little at the intense stare Mikasa was giving her, before she answered, “I need to get to their nest.”

 

“What!” Eren couldn’t believe their Queen would even think of such a thing but Historia shushed him again.

 

“They won’t kill me if I go unarmed.”

 

“But they could hold you hostage and use you against us.” Mikasa replied coolly.

 

“Maybe, but if I’m able to get an audience with their Naga I can make a case for peace.”

 

Everyone stayed quiet, thinking on what their Tuuli Thea was proposing. It was reckless and a suicide mission. Even if she did hold an audience with the serpiente and their court they would kill her to avenge their fallen Nag.

 

“The serpiente wouldn’t trust an avian, a hawk even less, inside their nest.” Armin offered but something about his phrasing made Eren think that was not an outright dismissal to Historia’s suggestion.

 

“But?” He said to make Armin continue with his train of thought.

 

“But there are other places we can call for an audience where the serpiente can not only trust that we don’t mean them harm but where they cannot hurt us either.” He finished.

 

“Wait, what do you mean not hurt them? We are here as soldiers. To fight them.” Said Jean.

 

“Is that all you want to do, raven?” Historia looked at Jean, a frown appearing on her face.

 

“I…uh…”

 

“Jean,” Eren started saying, “we need to fight for peace now, for our freedom. Even if that means not killing serpiente until we reach a solution. Otherwise we will be shackled to this war until we die.” They were all looking at Jean, determination in their eyes, waiting for Jean to decide. Eren could tell Jean didn’t know what to think, the guy was still scared from being in front of their Queen, and now being asked to forget the reason they were fighting and his hatred for the serpiente might be too much him. But Jean seemed to make up his mind quickly with a firm nod. Eren turned his gaze one more time to Historia.

 

“What do you need us to do?” Whatever their Queen asked of them, he knew Mikasa and Armin would agree to do it too. Historia wasn’t prepared to receive their help this quickly and tears started forming at the edge of her eyes.

 

“We could send word to the Mistari Disa. That’s the closest neutral colony that could take either avian or serpiente down if one of us start a fight.” Armin said to take some of the pressure off of Historia.

 

“If your father plans to attack the serpiente in two days, I don’t think we could reach them and come back to give word to the serpiente in time.” Jean added.

 

“I can do it.” Mikasa offered. “I can fly there and back with word in one day.” Historia smiled warmly at Mikasa and nodded her thanks.

 

“We will have to let the Mistari send word to the serpiente then.” Eren said.

 

“No, I will still have to go.” Historia answered dejectedly.

 

“Why!” They finally had a plan that wouldn’t get any of them killed by approaching the serpiente, so why would the Queen still want to go to their nest?

 

“They won’t believe we are being genuine about peace talks if we don’t show our faces and show them we are willing to risk everything. Or at least, if I don’t show my face.” Even if their Queen was finally growing a spine and thinking for herself and her people, this was still a reckless suggestion. Going unarmed to serpiente territory already proved to be foolish, as he found first handedly. Going to their nest, that was even worse.

 

“I’ll go with you then.” If his Queen was going to put herself at risk for peace, then he should go with her not only to protect her but also to show the serpiente that even him, the one who killed their Nag, wanted to move on from this endless war.

 

“Eren! You are still hurt.” Mikasa stepped up to his personal space, acting as if she were about to stop him now, physically, from going with their Queen.

 

“Stop worrying about me! My wound will heal by the time you come back.” He looked back to his Tuuli Thea as she looked at the raven and the mockingbird argue.

“I’ll go with you or you don’t go at all.” He said as an ultimatum. No one dared to argue with him now, not even Armin who stayed quiet throughout the whole exchange.

 

“Very well.” Historia finally said. “When she arrives, we leave immediately.”

 

“What will we do about your father, if he still plans to attack in two days? If we leave for the Mistari and the serpiente agree to meet us that will give him a better chance to attack them and disable their forces.” Armin added, already noting that with the plan set in motion, there was still Rod Reiss to take care of.

 

“Even if I haven’t done a good job as your Tuuli Thea, if I order the Royal Flight to stand down they will have to obey regardless of what my father tells them.”

 

“And you are sure people will follow your orders?” Mikasa was still not sold on the idea of Historia finally taking a more active role as their queen. Her doubts didn’t come from a malicious place; in fact they all doubted Historia and how well she could make the avians halt their attacks until they got back from the Mistari.

 

“My father might have reigned the Keep since my mother’s death but even he can’t go against the Tuuli Thea’s orders. It would be treason.” They wanted to believe her but it still seemed risky. Even if it were treason that still wouldn’t stop an avian from wanting to attack. Or be attacked by the serpiente.

 

“If the serpiente agree to meet us and the Mistari Disa agrees to host us, your father will have to go with you to the meeting. He won’t be able to command a sneak attack if he is not here. We can only hope the Royal Flight won’t take orders from him when your back is turned.” Armin added.

 

“They won’t. I’ll be appointing Dot Pixis to oversee the Royal Flight. It’s time Nile Dok steps down from this charge.” And with that, Historia pulled back her hood over her head and looked at Mikasa.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get any of your names except for Eren’s.” After a quick introduction, Historia turned to Mikasa once again.

“Mikasa, I’m sorry to ask this of you but I’ll need you to fly to the Mistari before sunrise. I know it doesn’t give you enough time to rest but-“

 

“I’ll do it.” Historia smiled once more and with a curt nod she stepped away from the group.

 

“I’ll be awaiting your return. Fly with grace, Mikasa.” And she walked away, leaving the four avians to discuss what they would do next.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Certain descriptions, like Eren's eye color, will be explained later, as well as where certain characters are, etc. I did not want to bombard you all with all of the characters at once, hence why they appear slowly. 
> 
> Thank you again for reading and for the amazing support!

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write this fic for years now. It feels great to finally have the time to do it.  
> This is going to be slow burn. I kind of hurried this chapter but it needed to happen for the good stuff. The setting and characters will be explained better in the upcoming chapters too and more interesting characters, like Levi, will most likely show up in the next chapter.


End file.
